As an adult player, why did you not "grow out of gaming"?

[Exhuminator]

A lot of us regulars around here are 30+ years old, some older than that, and quite a few members here are mid-20's. But we've got one thing in common; we all still love playing video games. Is this an usual thing? Perhaps. Perhaps not. For where I live it seems to be...

Speaking personally, living down here in the deep south, most guys my age (late 30's) don't give a half a damn about gaming. They prefer to spend their time hunting, fishing, playing golf, watching football, and barbecuing. (I personally find none of those activities very appealing.) I have to imagine in other regions of the world, older people have their own indigenous activities that are common, but likely don't include playing video games.

To further contrast, I know quite a few people who used to play games when they were younger, but now don't care for them. A perfect example is my brother, who is almost thirty years old now. When he was a teenager and in his early 20's, he enjoyed gaming. But sometime around his mid 20's, he just stopped and got out of the hobby. What does he like to do now? Gardening and fly fishing, mostly. He's one example of folks I know personally who "grew out of gaming".

I often ask myself at my age, why I still choose to play video games as my primary source of entertainment. I can think of many reasons, and I will post them later, but I don't want to bias responses to this OP just yet. But I have strong feelings about the phrase "grew out of" anything, I think it's a smokescreen covering a real truth. But more on that later.

And so I ask you, fellow adult gamers, especially those over 30, why have you not "grown out" of video games? Do you ever hide this hobby from your peers? Do you feel ashamed at all about it? Or do you fly your gaming flag high, and not give a damn? Do you know why many people who gamed when they were younger, no longer care to do so? Is gaming still too new in society, to have gained a solid foothold yet as an acceptable adult pastime? Let us know what you think!

[ElkinFencer10]

Well, I'm one of the younger "adult players" here (I'll be 25 in December), but I'll agree with your assessment whole-heartedly. "Normal" hobbies in the Upper South are exactly the same; if you're a white guy (especially one with a fairly pronounced country accent like mine) and your hobbies of choice aren't hunting, fishing, or watching some iteration of sportsball, you're an anomaly. I get a lot of the usual "You'll never get married like that" or "How do you expect to find a girlfriend?" gibes at work, even from other teachers and administrators, so there's definitely a stigma to it (although it begs the question how a movie buff or bibliophile is any different).

As for why I never "grew out of" it, I think that has a lot to do with my personality; I was an only child, so a lot of the time, video games were my main source of entertainment and stimulation in addition to books, and I'm an introvert, so I typically opt to spend time by myself, especially when I'm tired or stressed. A lot of my friends have mostly "grown out of" gaming. I say mostly because they still have a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, and they play, but it's usually NBA or NFL games or Call of Duty (maybe occasionally Skyrim or Just Cause, but they're never into the lore of those games), and it's rarely for more than an hour at a time. Those friends are usually the ones who will play with me when we're hanging out but otherwise don't keep up with gaming news aside from what makes it on CNN.

[Erik_Twice]

Well, I've never seen a reason to!

[RudySilvergun]

Games have grown with me through the years. My family used to give me crap about playing games, but with the rise of smart phones everyone plays something now. It took until my 40's to be considered half ways normal.

[MrPopo]

For the same reason I never grew out of mac & cheese. Just because you're older doesn't mean that stuff you enjoy stops being fun. I am also fiercely independent, so notions of "you should be doing X" I completely ignore. I think a lot of people fall away from it because they feel like they shouldn't be doing it anymore.

[Exhuminator]

I think a lot of people fall away from it because they feel like they shouldn't be doing it anymore.

But why do you think they feel that way?

[strangenova]

I think a lot of people fall away from it because they feel like they shouldn't be doing it anymore.

But why do you think they feel that way?

I'd say it's peer pressure. Everyone that games like we do gets the speech that we are wasting our time and we are childish. Most adults fall victim to the pressure and give up gaming for football and fishing.

I occasionally watch football to have things to talk about at work, but I really don't care for it. I do barbecue, but that's cause I love to eat. Other than that gaming and movies are my hobbies and I like it that way, my wife likes it that way and you know what, my dad still games to this day.

[Anayo]

I don't tend to care very much about impressing other people or living up to people's expectations.

[MrPopo]

I think a lot of people fall away from it because they feel like they shouldn't be doing it anymore.

But why do you think they feel that way?

Hell if I know. It's a really dumb impulse and I don't understand it at all.

[ElkinFencer10]

I think a lot of people fall away from it because they feel like they shouldn't be doing it anymore.

But why do you think they feel that way?

It's the Illuminati. Gaming makes us more perceptive to abstract ideas and underlying plots, thereby weakening our susceptibility to the Illuminati's mind control techniques.